PM Artifacts: Templates and Best Practices

Overview

PM Artifacts provides templates and conventions for project management documentation. All artifacts follow a consistent structure optimized for:

1. AI readability: Clear sections, consistent formatting
2. Human usability: Quick scanning, minimal friction
3. Solo workflow: Right-sized for individual work

Artifact Hierarchy

Project Charter (1)
    └── Product Backlog (1)
            └── Epics (N)
                    └── Stories (N per Epic)
                            └── Sprints (N)
                                    ├── Sprint Backlog
                                    └── Sprint Retrospective

Flow: Charter defines vision → Backlog prioritizes work → Epics group features → Stories detail implementation → Sprints execute work.

Naming Conventions

Following BEM-inspired naming for clarity:

Artifact	Pattern	Example
Epic	EN_Epic-Name.md	E1_Setup-Infrastructure.md
Story	EN-SN_Story-Name.md	E1-S1_Initialize-Project.md
Sprint folder	Sprint-NN/	Sprint-01/
Sprint backlog	sprint-backlog.md	-
Retrospective	sprint-retrospective.md	-
Daily check-in	YYYY-MM-DD-checkin.md	2025-12-28-checkin.md

Rules:

• Use kebab-case for multi-word names
• Epics numbered sequentially (E1, E2, E3...)
• Stories prefixed with parent epic (E1-S1, E1-S2...)
• Sprints numbered with leading zero (Sprint-01, Sprint-02...)

Folder Structure

Standard PM folder organization:

Project-Management/
├── README.md                    # Navigation and overview
├── project-charter.md           # Vision, stakeholders, constraints
├── Backlog/
│   └── Product-Backlog.md       # Prioritized backlog + roadmap
├── Epics/
│   ├── E1_Setup-Infrastructure.md
│   ├── E2_Core-Feature.md
│   └── ...
├── Stories/
│   ├── E1-S1_Initialize-Project.md
│   ├── E1-S2_Configure-Dependencies.md
│   └── ...
├── Sprints/
│   ├── Sprint-01/
│   │   ├── sprint-backlog.md
│   │   └── sprint-retrospective.md
│   └── Sprint-02/
│       └── ...
└── _Archive/                    # Completed or deprecated items

Quick Reference: When to Use Each Artifact

Artifact	Create When	Update When
Project Charter	Project kickoff	Scope changes significantly
Product Backlog	Project kickoff	Stories added/completed/reprioritized
Epic	New major feature identified	Stories added, status changes
Story	Work item identified	Sprint planning, completion
Sprint Backlog	Sprint planning	Daily (progress tracking)
Retrospective	Sprint end	Never (historical record)
Daily Check-in	Each work session	Never (daily record)

Template Quick Reference

Project Charter

Purpose: Vision, stakeholders, constraints, Definition of Done Location: project-charter.md Template: references/templates/project-charter.md

Product Backlog

Purpose: Prioritized list of all work, epic roadmap Location: Backlog/Product-Backlog.md Template: references/templates/product-backlog.md

Epic

Purpose: Large body of work, groups related stories Location: Epics/EN_Epic-Name.md Template: references/templates/epic.md

Story

Purpose: Single unit of work with acceptance criteria Location: Stories/EN-SN_Story-Name.md Template: references/templates/story.md

Quick Story (Simplified)

Purpose: Small tasks, minimal overhead Location: Inline in backlog or separate file Template: references/templates/quick-story.md

Sprint Backlog

Purpose: Sprint commitment, daily progress Location: Sprints/Sprint-NN/sprint-backlog.md Template: references/templates/sprint-backlog.md

Sprint Retrospective

Purpose: What went well, what to improve Location: Sprints/Sprint-NN/sprint-retrospective.md Template: references/templates/sprint-retrospective.md

Daily Check-in

Purpose: Personal standup, quick reflection Location: Optional (can be mental) Template: references/templates/daily-checkin.md

User Story Format

Standard user story statement:

As a [role],
I want to [action/feature],
So that [benefit/value].

Examples:

• "As a data engineer, I want to initialize the project structure, so that I have a foundation to build on."
• "As a user, I want to reset my password, so that I can regain access if I forget it."

Acceptance Criteria Format

Use checklist format for clear verification:

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] [Specific, testable criterion 1]
- [ ] [Specific, testable criterion 2]
- [ ] [Specific, testable criterion 3]

Good criteria:

• Specific and testable
• Written in present tense
• Focus on behavior, not implementation
• Include edge cases when relevant

Example:

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] Login form validates email format
- [ ] Error message shown for invalid credentials
- [ ] Successful login redirects to dashboard
- [ ] Session persists for 24 hours
- [ ] Logout clears session completely

Story Points Guide

Points	Complexity	Description
1	Trivial	Simple change, no unknowns
2	Simple	Straightforward, minor unknowns
3	Moderate	Some complexity, exploration needed
5	Significant	Multiple steps, integration work
8	Complex	Research required, many unknowns
13	Very Complex	Epic-sized, break it down

Tip: If pointing takes more than 30 seconds, it's probably a 5 or 8.

Priority Levels

Priority	Meaning	Action
High	Blocking or critical path	Do first
Medium	Important but not blocking	Do after high
Low	Nice to have	Do if time permits

Definition of Done

Project-Level DoD

Defined in project-charter.md. Applies to project completion.

Story-Level DoD

Standard checklist for any story to be "Done":

## Definition of Done

- [ ] Code implemented following conventions
- [ ] All acceptance criteria met
- [ ] Tests written and passing
- [ ] Self-reviewed (no obvious issues)
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Integrated with main codebase
- [ ] No known bugs or issues

Additional Resources

Template Files

All templates available in references/templates/:

• project-charter.md
• product-backlog.md
• epic.md
• story.md
• quick-story.md
• sprint-backlog.md
• sprint-retrospective.md
• daily-checkin.md
• pm-readme.md (README template for PM folder)

Related Skills

• scrum-solo - Ceremony guides and SCRUM adaptations

Usage with Commands

• /pm-init - Uses these templates to scaffold PM structure
• /pm-create - Uses templates with AI-generated content
• /pm-refactor - Compares existing structure against these standards